Triclosan In Your Home and In Your Body

If you haven’t heard of Triclosan, you should know that is in a number of products that you may be using on a daily basis. Triclosan was introduced to the marketplace in 1972, although it was originally developed and registered as a pesticide in 1969. At that time it was used in hospitals and health care settings for its antibacterial properties.

Triclosan can now be found in numerous products that you may not even be aware of, such as bedding, surgical scrubs, pesticides, antibacterial soaps, cutting boards, toothpaste, shoes and toys, to name a few. Because it is used in such a wide range of products, it is regulated by three different government agencies the FDA, the EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The FDA has been working for over 38 years to establish the rules for the use of Triclosan without success. Since the United States chemical policy is part of the Toxic Substances Control Act, chemical testing is voluntary. The burden of proof lies with researchers, consumers and the chemical industry itself.

Research into Triclosans effect on our health and the environment is in its early stages.

Studies have found that Triclosan does persist in the environment, contributes to bacterial resistance and does cause adverse health problems in humans and wildlife, one of the factors being its endocrine disrupting properties. It is so prevalent that in a survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Triclosan was found in the urine of 75% of Americans over the age of 5.

Triclosan is a chlorophenol, a class of chemicals that is suspected of causing cancer in humans. Dioxins, PCBs, chlorophenols and many other pesticides are categorized as persistent organic pollutants. They accumulate to higher concentration levels with each step up the food chain. Once these pollutants are absorbed into fat cells it is extremely challenging to remove them. Triclosan is one of these chemicals and with people at the top of the food chain, the risks are high.

Triclosan has been strongly linked to the following effects on human health:
Abnormal cell growth

Abnormalities with the endocrine system

Birth defects

Carcinogenic effects

Muscle weakness

Unhealthy weight loss

Where can You Find Triclosan? Below is a small sampling of the thousands of products containing Triclosan (provided by www.beyondpesticides.org) . This is not to be considered a complete list. Not only are new products introduced every day, but a product’s formula may change without notice.

Become a label reader. Always refer to product labels to determine whether Triclosan is contained in your product. Depending on the company that sells the chemical, Triclosan can also appear in products branded Microban®, Irgasan® (DP 300 or PG 60), or on products labeled “built-in antimicrobial protection.” Some antibacterial soaps use Triclosan’s cousin, triclocarban in place of Triclosan.